Hawker Sea Fury
| Hawker Sea Fury | |
|---|---|
 Hawker Sea Fury FB. 11 |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
February 21, 1945 |
| Commissioning: |
October 1945 |
| Production time: |
1945 to 1955 |
| Number of pieces: |
980 |
The Hawker Sea Fury was a single-engine British fighter aircraft that was developed and manufactured by the Hawker company . The low- wing aircraft was the Royal Navy's last piston engine-powered fighter , was developed during the Second World War , but was only used afterwards. The Sea Fury was one of the fastest piston-engined series-production fighter planes ever built.
history
The Hawker Fury was the end of a line of piston-engined fighter aircraft that began with the Hurricane and also included the Tornado , Typhoon and Tempest models .
F.2 / 43 Fury
Shortly after the first flight of the Hawker Tempest prototype in September 1942, Hawker and his chief designer Sidney Camm considered the possibility of a smaller and lighter variant of the fighter aircraft. To do this, the center section of the wing should be removed, the outer parts merged along the longitudinal axis and the fuselage designed as a monocoque. In January 1943 it was decided to align this new design, called Tempest Light Fighter (Centaurus) , with the requirements of the Air Ministry Specification F.6 / 42. Since the Royal Navy also wanted to advertise an interceptor at the same time, it was agreed to summarize the requirements of the RAF and Royal Navy (N.7 / 43) and to publish them in Specification F.2 / 43 essentially in line with the Hawker draft.
Of the six F.2 / 43 prototypes commissioned in December 1943, two were to be equipped with Rolls-Royce Griffon , two with Bristol Centaurus XXII and one with the Centaurus XII. One cell should be used for exercise studies. For the marine version, there was a new performance booklet N.22 / 43 in early 1944, in which the standard of the series version was specified. In April of that year, the Ministry then placed orders for 200 machines each according to the specifications F.2 / 43 and N.22 / 43, with 100 units of the marine version being built by Boulton Paul .
On September 1, 1944, the NX798, equipped with a Centaurus XII, was the first aircraft from the F2./43 order that actually flew. After the first flight of the second machine (LA610 with Rolls-Royce Griffon 85) it was decided to name the F.2 / 43 as Fury I and the marine version as Sea Fury X. The third prototype NX802 of the Fury I flew on July 25, 1945. The fourth and last prototype of the F.2 / 43 or Fury I was VP207. With the foreseeable end of the war in Europe, the Boulton-Paul-Sea-Fury order was cut to 100 aircraft in January 1945, only the prototype VB857 was transferred to Kingston for completion. With the actual end of the Second World War in Europe, further development of the Fury I was discontinued and further development was concentrated on the Sea Fury at Hawker, after which the order at Boulton Paul was completely canceled. Later on, the Bristol Centaurus engine in the LA610 was replaced by a Napier Saber VII engine, making the Fury I, with a top speed of 775 km / h (485 mph), probably the fastest piston-engined aircraft ever built by Hawker.
Sea Fury X
The first Sea Fury prototype (SR661 with Centaurus XII) had its maiden flight on February 21, 1945, but was not yet fully adapted for operation on aircraft carriers ( semi-navalised ) at that time . A catch hook was provided, but folding wings were still missing. The second prototype (SR666 with Centaurus XV) - flown on October 12, 1945 - was then fully navalised with its foldable wings . The Boulton-Paul prototype (VB857 with Centaurus XXII), which was also completed according to this standard, flew on January 31, 1946 and was the last prototype to be built according to requirements N.7 / 43.
Sea Fury F Mk X
The first series of 50 Sea Fury was based on the prototype SR666. The first machine, the TF895, flew on September 7, 1946 and then stayed with Hawker. While the first examples still used four-blade rotol propellers, these were later replaced as standard propellers by five-blade versions from the same manufacturer. In the winter of 1946/1947, testing began on the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious , although initial problems with the catch hook delayed the release for use until spring 1947. In the course of 1948, the replacement of the F Mk X by the new version FB Mk 11 began.
Sea Fury FB Mk 11
For the series version of the fighter bomber variant Mark 11 ( FB for Fighter Bomber , alternatively the spelling FB.11 is used) some modifications were introduced. So this version was able to carry various combinations of 454 kg incendiary bombs, smoke markers, 60 lb rocket projectiles, 90 gallon auxiliary tanks and napalm containers. The catch hook was also lengthened and devices were built in to carry out rocket-assisted launches ( RATOG ).
In the following seven years a total of 615 copies of the FB Mk 11 were built in Kingston and delivered to the Royal Navy. Until it was replaced by the Sea Hawk at the end of 1953, the Sea Fury was the main single-seat fighter equipment used by the Fleet Air Arm. After the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, the HMS Theseus and the Sea Fury of No. 807 Squ. posted there. The success in supporting the ground forces meant that the aircraft carriers HMS Ocean and HMS Glory followed a few months later . The Australian Navy also used its Sea Furys, acquired in 1949 and 1950, at HMAS Sydney in Korea.
Sea Fury T Mk 20
The trainer variant Mark 20 (T. 20) was only developed for the Royal Navy after negotiations between the Iraqi government and Hawker for the procurement of such a training aircraft had already been concluded. Iraq ordered four two-seat furys. The first machine - flown on January 15, 1948 - was completed according to the Admiralty's standard specifications and was given the serial number VX818. After an accident, a transparent "tunnel" was planned between the initially completely separate cockpits. The rear cockpit of the flight instructor was also supplemented with a periscope, while the armament was reduced to two 20 mm cannons.
From mid-1950 to March 1952, the series production of 60 Sea Fury T. 20 went to the Fleet Air Arm.
export
- The first variant for a non-UK customer was the Sea Fury Mk. 50 for the Dutch Air Force, which ordered ten fighters from Hawker on October 21, 1946. The machines were to be stationed on the former British escort carrier HMS Nairana . Twelve more copies, mostly fighter-bombers, were ordered in 1950 after license production had started in 1948. The other Sea Fury were deployed on the light fleet carrier Karel Doorman - also a former British ship (HMS Venerable). All machines were replaced in 1959 by the Hawker Sea Hawk .
- Also in 1946, the Iraqi government expressed interest in the Fury, which ultimately led to an order for 30 fighters and fighter-bombers in December of that year. The machines, also known unofficially as Baghdad Furys , were delivered in the course of 1948, followed a year later by two two-seat training planes. Of the four originally ordered, one was diverted to the Royal Navy as a prototype VX818 and a second was sold to Pakistan. Another 25 single-seaters and three two-seat Sea Fury were extradited to Iraq in 1953.
- Hawker received the largest foreign order from Pakistan, where between 1949 and 1954 a total of 93 single-seat Sea Fury were delivered. These included five former FBs. 11 the Fleet Air Arm. There were also five T. 20s, including the one originally intended for Iraq.
- Egypt ordered twelve Sea Fury fighters in 1949, which were delivered over the next two years.
- In 1957 Hawker bought back a number of Sea Fury retired from Fleet Air Arm, of which 18 were FB. 11 and three T. 20 were resold to Burma in 1958.
- In 1958 there were 15 FBs in Cuba 11 and two T. 20s were sold, but they were not assembled until 1959, after the revolution against the Batista government , which had placed the order. These Sea Fury were used in the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961
- The German Aviation Advisory Service ordered six T. 20s in 1959, which were used as target tugs on behalf of the German Air Force and the German Navy . In 1960 the order was expanded to include two more machines.
Mission history
The Royal Navy's former Supermarine Seafire was never really convincing and was therefore replaced by the Sea Fury FX on almost all aircraft carriers. The FX was later replaced by the FB.11 fighter bomber variant. Probably 650 machines were made of this machine.
During the Korean War , the British pilot Peter Carmichael shot down a MiG-15 in aerial combat on August 8, 1952 . The last squadron of the Royal Navy with Sea Fury was disbanded in 1955. The Mk.50 export variant was sold to Australia (approx. 50), Canada (74), Germany (8), Iraq (30), Egypt (12), Burma (21), Pakistan (98) and Cuba (17) . The Netherlands bought 24 machines and then built another 24 under license from Fokker .
A total of 960 Hawker Sea Fury were built.
Versions
- Sea Fury F. 10
- Fighter aircraft for the Royal Navy , 50 were built.
- Sea Fury FB. 11
- Fighter-bombers for the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Canadian Navy , 615 were built.
- Sea Fury T. 20
- two-seater trainer version, 60 were built.
- Sea Fury F. 50
- F. 10 for the Koninklijke Marine , 12 were built.
- Sea Fury FB. 51
- FB. 11 for the Koninklijke Marine, 12 built by Hawker, 24 licensed by Fokker .
- Sea Fury FB. 60
- FB. 11 without folding wings and catch hooks for the Pakistani Air Force (87 and 5 FB. 11) and Iraq (30), 128 were built.
- Sea Fury T. 61
- Two-seat trainer version for Pakistan and Iraq with two cockpits one behind the other, 7 were built.
Military users
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Egypt
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Australia
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Burma
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Germany
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Kingdom of Iraq
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Canada
-
Cuba
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Morocco
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Netherlands
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Pakistan
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United Kingdom
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Technical specifications
| Parameter | Hawker FB data. 11 |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 10.6 m |
| span | 11.7 m |
| Wing area | 26 m² |
| height | 4.9 m |
| Empty mass | 4190 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 5670 kg |
| Top speed | 740 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 10,900 m |
| Range | 1127 km |
| Engine | 1 × Bristol Centaurus XVIIC with 1850 kW (2480 PS) |
| Armament | 4 × 20 mm Hispano cannons , 908 kg bombs, 12 × 76 mm missiles |
Whereabouts
Today there are still about a dozen airworthy Sea Fury. Most of the machines are heavily modified and used in flight races, such as the Reno Air Races . Other no longer airworthy machines exist in many museums around the world.
literature
- Francis K. Mason: Hawker Aircraft since 1920. 3rd, revised edition. Putnam, London 1991, ISBN 0-85177-839-9 , p. 108 ff.
- Ray Williams: Sea Fury - Part 1. In: Airplane Monthly. December 1985, pp. 635-639.
- Ray Williams: Sea Fury - Part 2. In: Airplane Monthly. January 1986, pp. 31-34.
- Ray Williams: Sea Fury - Part 3. In: Airplane Monthly. February 1986, pp. 87-90.
- Ray Williams: Sea Fury - Part 4. In: Airplane Monthly. March 1986, pp. 144-147, 157.
- Ray Williams: Sea Fury - Part 5. In: Airplane Monthly. April 1986, pp. 199-203.
Web links
- Airplane Lexicon Bredow: Hawker Sea Fury
Individual evidence
- ^ John Landsdown: With the Carriers in Korea Crecy Publishing Ltd; 1998 (English) ISBN 978-0-947554-64-4 , page 273